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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Risk

I was recently asked by my longtime, dear friend Jennifer White to guest post on her blog, "Inspired and Sharing It!". It's part of a new series she's hosting called "Because of Jesus". Below is what I shared from my heart.

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in
deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

My ever-inquisitive
son David asked me, “Momma, what’s a force field?” I explained to him in my best
pseudo-Trekkie way that it’s an invisible electric wall to keep people or
things from going in…or going out. While saying this, I had an image of Mr.
Spock raising his hands to a door opening only to realize painfully (dramatized
by very
special effects and great acting) that he couldn’t leave the room he was confined
to.

I grew up a
very poor, clunky-looking, short kid. Any one of those three descriptors would
have put a “pick on me” sign on my back, but sporting the trio of troublesome
issues? Yeah, it was bad. I did what a lot of people do as a result: I put up an
invisible force field to protect my fragile, little heart. I say invisible
because to most people I seemed outgoing and downright friendly. However, I was
quick to criticize and lash out with arsenic-laced words that would put folks
in their place if I sensed impending harm to me.

Jesus showed
me that force field was not just keeping people from reaching my heart; it was
keeping the love poured into my heart by Him from flowing out purely. He
revealed a chasm between my self-protective tendencies and His fierce pursuit
of people’s hearts. I longed to please
Him, but I knew the only way I could do that is to love the way He loves…genuinely
and fearlessly. So I prayed an honest prayer from the depths of my soul:
“Jesus, help me love like you do.”

Because of Jesus,
I have shifted from shielding my own heart with sharp words and a careless
attitude. Because of Jesus, I give my
heart freely because He’s given His so freely to me.

Because of Jesus, I love.

How is your life different now because of Jesus? Leave a comment below telling how He's made a difference in your life (Click "Comments"). Also, I encourage you to read the weekly installments to Jennifer's inspiring series at http://jennspiration.wordpress.com.